Lawyers
Representing cases of innocence:
Volunteer lawyers are crucial to the success of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. With a limited professional staff, volunteer attorneys and law students are the ones screening, evaluating and investigating claims of innocence.
Lawyers are needed at all stages of the Project: evaluating (Stage 2) cases, gathering documents involved in a case and reviewing them thoroughly (Stage 3), and investigating and litigating claims of innocence (Stage 4).
Each Stage of the Project involves an increasing level of commitment of time from the volunteer lawyers. Stage 2 evaluations involve a short-term commitment. If all of the materials are available to review and evaluate, the Stage 2 review could take just a few hours. If more information or materials are needed, however, the Stage 2 review could take several weeks.
Once a case moves into Stage 3, the commitment is no longer a short-term commitment but a long one. In order to properly evaluate a claim of innocence, the lawyer must spend many months gathering all of the materials needed. If a lawyer agrees to take a case through to Stage 4, the investigation and litigation phase, the commitment is for the duration of the case, which could be years.
To start volunteering with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project at Stage 2, you just have to attend our quarterly 1-hour volunteer training session. (If you have extensive criminal law experience, we will consider waiving this requirement.) Then all you do is contact us and let us know when you would like to begin volunteering!
To volunteer for the Pennsylvania Innocence Project at either Stage 3 or 4, you must attend our intensive training session. The last session was in September, 2011, in Harrisburg. We expect to hold sessions periodically as needed, although no session is currently scheduled. If you are interested in attending a training session, please send an e-mail to innocenceprojectpa@temple.edu.
Volunteer opportunities for non-litigators:
If you want to help the work of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project in ways other than taking on a case, there are many avenues. Our Policy and Legislation Committee is charged with pursuing policy change that will lead to the reduction of wrongful convictions in the Commonwealth. The CLE/Training Committee coordinates our training programs and works with other legal organization to present relevant CLE programs throughout the Commonwealth. The Development Committee is tasked with raising money to support the work of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project through fundraisers, writing grant applications and developing a strong individual donor base. The Communications Committee is responsible for the website (available at www.innocenceprojectpa.org), our public education materials and supporting the work of the other committees.
You do not need to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project to join and work on a committee. If you are interested in being a part of any of the committees of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, please contact us at innocenceprojectpa@temple.edu. |
